Back to basics: Getting the kids out of the house and into the garden

Columnist Lydia Harvey give her best tips on how to get children interested in gardening, and how to teach them where their food comes from.

Gardening is as beneficial for the children as it is for the adults.

It's a great way to introduce children to fresh foods from a young age. Even in the depths of winter, sending the children to help out in the garden provides relief for those suffering from cabin fever.

If you are already a gardener, no doubt your children naturally tag along behind you. But if this is all new to you, where do you start?

Start small There is so much you can do in a small space. If you have a few youngsters, a good idea is to buy flexi tubs in different colours and designate your child their own one, or if you have space in your garden let them have a little plot of their own.

Grow something fun and tasty Plant peas. Kids love to hide away in them and they will eat raw peas as they grow (double win), but if you only have a small space strawberries are a hands down winner.

Make work play Those jobs you don’t like doing? Turn it into a game, raking leaves, removing caterpillars and pulling weeds to chopping (supervised) the veggies for dinner. It's all one less thing you have to do.

Take nature walks Every morning my youngest and I walk around the garden see what is growing, identify new birds and pick what is ready for use that day for his lunchbox. We also talk about what we can make.

Get in the kitchen Meals here are based on what is ready to be picked and brought to the kitchen. The kids love the hands on jobs of washing and prepping.

When children are connected to the food they have helped make right from planting process, chances are they will be happy to chow down on a plate of home-grown goodness.

'I'm shocked' – pharmacists outraged at suggestions they could end up selling cigarettes

A controversial plan to sell cigarettes in safe places like pharmacies has hit a raw nerve with some in the healthcare industry.

A pharmacist has told 1 NEWS it would go against his "code of ethics" to sell cigarettes.

Sunil Kumar says he was "shocked" to hear some experts saying this could help New Zealand become smokefree by 2025.

"We're here to stop people smoking rather than promote cigarettes," Mr Kumar said.

An Otago University study suggests restricting the number of outlets that can sell cigarettes will help New Zealand become smokefree by 2025.

A major-anti smoking group agrees with the idea, Professor Robert Beaglehole from ASH saying that cigarettes are too accessible at the present time and we really need to reduce it.

Graeme Blanchard, President of the Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand said "While we see merit in restricting where cigarettes can be purchased, we are opposed to the sale of cigarettes from community pharmacies."

However, dairy owners are outraged at the suggestion they could be cut out of the game, saying being unable to sell cigarettes would greatly affect their business and they are being unfairly treated.

The government says restricting sales might just add to supply and demand issues, but it has plenty to consider with just eight years to meet its smoke free target.